I'm heading out today - looks like it is going above freezing - should be interesting.
skiing/snowboarding (downhill)
- Thread starter Gnick
- Start date
I'm heading out today - looks like it is going above freezing - should be interesting.
Vail will slowly kill all my favorite ski areas. Wouldn't be very smart it for them to buy Smuggs. Their goal is to just sell more Epic Passes. Not sure how many more they would sell by adding Smugg's to their list of resorts. Vail sold 740,000 Epic Passes. Do the math. Their goal is 1 million passes annually.
Monkey Soup
Angry Wanker
Yeah, so true about low temps during Christmas keeping people away. Still was bad getting down a couple nights (I think the parents picking up their frozen kids after ski school :)
My wife heard something about Vail purchasing Smugg's and linking the 2 resorts. Might be kinda cool if it's just linked from the top of Big Spruce (like it used to be) but if they put some big obnoxious lift to link them then that will suck.
I noticed the terrain parks were setup a little differently this season. It seemed they are setting them up to be served just from the triple - the one under the double on Lord was all rails this year where in years past it's been the mid-size with all types of features. Not that I'm a big park rider but a tree/groomer/park all in one run is pretty fun to me. Maybe Vail will finally swap out that ratty old triple (I've been riding that thing for 30 years!) for something smoother and quicker.
I didn't know Knight Ide made something at Little River - I'll certainly have to check that out! I did a TM with this past summer at Sterling Valley so I'm anxious to see how that rides as well. I was bummed to hear about Cady Hill - I've ridden that area for ever and it's been great to see how well it's progressed over the years. Re: DH - my guess is Vail will develop DH trails if they have the permits. I'm sure they can set up the rental/tickets/gear infrastructure quickly and easily with the DH at their other resorts and it will be a money maker for them.
It would be kind of cool to link Smuggs, but I also think that its an ambitious plan. I have a feeling that everyone that skis at Stowe is not gonna buy into the Epic Pass, and will also get sick of paying $130 to for a day pass, and go somewhere else. I also don't see them getting rid of that triple because you can still access that terrain from quad. Then again who knows, if they start making money hand over fist from this Epic thing. I tend to ski mainly in the Front Four area when conditions are decent, there are some cool lines through the trees there.
The Little River loop is pretty good, but after a couple of laps I'm done. The whole flow-trail thing is a nice change of pace every now and then, the biggest challenge for me is hitting the big tables and doubles. Ultimately I prefer natural trails and drops vs. man-made. I like Perry Hill alot, the climb sucks, but they changed the beginning of it by putting some switchbacks in. Mainly so that people aren't killed by those bombing down the last turn. My favorite trail at Cady's is the Sphincter Drop.
don
Well-Known Member
I'm going to PC next week. Kind of excited to visit Utah for the first time but fear Park City might be like you said especially with the little snow they have.
don
Well-Known Member
I didn't know 1 million annual passes was their goal but certainly makes sense. Good point about not getting that many more subscribers buying Smugg's. I could see a place like Stratton giving them a lot more pass buyers. But the thought of Stratton-ites coming up to Stowe
don
Well-Known Member
It will be interesting to see what Stowe does long term with Vail. Stowe's a funny town (only place I've seen kick out a McDonald's). I'm sure there are a lot more local folks this year doing a a pre-dawn/post work skin lap and instead of buying a pass and riding a Quad chair or 2 at 7:30/8 just on principle.
My thinking on the triple was maybe they would replace that and the double with 1 lift going 3/4's of the way up with better wind protection. Those 2 lifts are old and maybe no under Vail they have a lift from another resort or stronger buying power. I love the Quad but on busy days that line can be insane. But not much is better than the skiing off of it when there is good snow!
I'll have to hit Perry Hill again. It's been close to 10 years since I rode it last. My all around fav is Kimmer's - I feel like that is just a perfect blend of flow, tech, and skinnies with just the right pitch.
Monkey Soup
Angry Wanker
I'm a big fan of Kimmer's, I usually ride it from the High School so I can hit pipeline on the way back. As soon as the local VMBA chapter works out access with the folks back around Strawberry Fields, I'll be able to ride it from the house. Hitting Tapline and Growler at Trapps on the way back is sweet also. They've done alot of work back at Perry Hill. Perry Hill is a longer, steeper, more technical version of Kimmer's. Burning Spear to Joe's is a killer loop. Joe's has some big rolls and a few drops on it. I think that they are also planning on linking Cotton Brook to Little River state park, and ultimately Perry Hill. My cousin sits on the local VMBA board, so I get the scoop on everything.
Stowe is a tough call for locals. No one wants more crowds, but the Epic Pass is like 1/2 the cost of prior Stowe season passes with access to so many more mountains. My problem is I don't want to buy a season pass, but Vail forces you into it if you ski more than a few days at one of their resorts. I might feel different if one of their mountains were closer.
Monkey Soup
Angry Wanker
Vail has structured all of the their pricing to force you into the Epic Pass. Even the Vermont Travel Club card is useless now, all the holidays are blacked out and the discount isn't as big. It will probably go away next year. The locals are hard-core, most of them skin. The ones with kids are members of the Mansfield Ski Club. I doubt the crowds will get any less (although one can always hope) even with the increased pricing, since based on what I've seen, most of the folks that stay at the resort on Spruce look like they have money to burn. Summer time is still sweet up there though, a lot less Massholes than winter.
Blue Snow Report from yesterday
it stayed cold for most of the day, and conditions reflected that. The powder was gone, but plenty of granular over hardpack to push around on the steeper trails (hard to call them double black diamonds, cause if ya can hold a line for 15 seconds, it is over) The middles were getting skied off, plenty along the edges. All the casual trails had plenty of snow to carve.
Other than a powder day, this was better-than-average east coast conditions.
i lost my phone, and someone boarded around with it all day. strava was running! @mattybfat called the phone, and initiated recovery. TY.
it stayed cold for most of the day, and conditions reflected that. The powder was gone, but plenty of granular over hardpack to push around on the steeper trails (hard to call them double black diamonds, cause if ya can hold a line for 15 seconds, it is over) The middles were getting skied off, plenty along the edges. All the casual trails had plenty of snow to carve.
Other than a powder day, this was better-than-average east coast conditions.
i lost my phone, and someone boarded around with it all day. strava was running! @mattybfat called the phone, and initiated recovery. TY.
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My cousin works for Stowe. They are planning on cutting DH trails starting this spring.
ktmrider
Well-Known Member
I have the epic pass , this is my first year . I have a decent amount of days in so far the past 2 months . Vail is such a mega power in the skiing industry , I like places like mad river glen . Silverton , and I can't get enough of solitude Utah... I love honeycomb canyon on a fresh pow day
olegbabich
Well-Known Member
Back in a day (1987-90) I used to stay with my friend at Johnson State College VT (sleep on the floor of his dorm rom) and ski Smuggs for a couple of weeks at a time. There was a well maintained connection trail between Smuggs and Stow. Lots of old school back country skiing, although it involved a lot of ski and hike and even hitchhiking back to the lift.
Yesterday's Hunter report- I usually try to ski Hunter West, but it was not groomed and because of last weeks rain, was very icy. Front mountain was well groomed with plenty of packed snow. After 1:00pm the Bumps defrosted and I hit the short Mogul section every run after lunch. There was a Porcupine in a tree next to the lift for most of the afternoon.
Yesterday's Hunter report- I usually try to ski Hunter West, but it was not groomed and because of last weeks rain, was very icy. Front mountain was well groomed with plenty of packed snow. After 1:00pm the Bumps defrosted and I hit the short Mogul section every run after lunch. There was a Porcupine in a tree next to the lift for most of the afternoon.
qclabrat
Well-Known Member
started both my kids at 4 and 6, i used to like Mountain Creek for the camp, that was 10 years ago, now it all seems like a shit show
I suggest if you can swing it to do weekdays. Unfortunately after ten years the kids now have no interest in skiing. I'm going back to riding now...
I've always gone to Ski Barn.
qclabrat
Well-Known Member
I learned to ski at Hunter years ago, it was close to school and so we skied there every week, not weekends though
Much better than PA but if you are driving from NJ, I'd agree, Mt Snow or Killington probably worth the extra drive time
Hunter West was actually one of my favorite places to ski next to Mad River, I never leave these areas anymore. Skiing in this area sucks
qclabrat
Well-Known Member
Used to go to Out of Bounds in Scotch Plains, now I ski more than ride, but they did a good job each time I took my boards there